A Wedding!

Laura and Dickon Morris

I have just returned from what is possibly the most beautiful wedding I have ever attended. It was the union of my good friend Laura Lane and her fiance Dickon Morris. It is her Hen party that I attended in Edinburgh a few weeks ago, and she also happens to be the first to get married within our university friendship group, so the event has been highly anticipated since we found out it was happening nearly a year ago. 

It took place in Giggleswick, North Yorkshire, at the Chapel belonging to the boarding school there, which has recently celebrated its 500 year anniversary, and afterwards in the Richard Whiteley lecture theatre within the school grounds. The chapel is quite simply stunning, and the ceremony was so well done. Laura walked up the aisle looking a million dollars in a heavily laced dress complete with veil, glovelets and a long train to Pachelbel's Canon, carrying a bouquet of babies breath and roses, followed by her six bridemaids who wore varying dresses in a pale taupe. She was met by Dickon who wore a purple bow tie, whilst the groomsmen had spring green ties, and a couple were sporting kilts.

After the vows there were some heartfelt readings from both bride and groom's family and friends, and then a few prayers and well chosen songs which were led by one of the ushers on guitar and one of the bridesmaids on drums. The register was signed to Newton Faulkner, and then the newly married couple were followed outside into the glorious sunshine, where we were given Pimms to drink whilst the photographs were taken.

Next was afternoon tea at the cricket pavilion, which was really fun and relaxed. Whilst the bride and groom had a drive around the countryside in a gorgeous blue and grey old car with some champagne, the wedding party drank tea out of pretty china teacups, and when they were welcomed back, we ate a selection of sandwiches, cake and scones, and then lounged around on the grass and played croquet - it was fantastic!

At 5.30pm we were ushered to the lecture theatre, where we watched a short avant garde theatre piece which was a play on the Secret Garden, the theme for the entire day. The venue was decked out with huge flowers and drapes, and the table centre pieces were bird cages with candles inside, surrounded by pots of herbs (which we got to take home). We had a choice of venison, pork or turkey, served with potatoes, quinoa, bulgar wheat and slaw, and the dessert was buffet style with meringues, fresh fruit, brownies, shortbreads and cream. Claire and I sang a couple of songs whilst people ate, which was nerve-wracking but went well overall, and then we were all given champagne to toast the speeches, which were lovely.

Then there was the 'cutting of the cake' which was difficult as it was made of loads of flower shaped cake-pops with rice paper petals, but the effect was there! Afterwards the cocktail bar opened, where there was a menu of all that was available, served very extravagantly by flarers in teacups, or jam jars garnished with marshmallows, and best of all - free! There was popcorn available to nibble on throughout the night, and music was provided by a few of the guests playing/singing, followed by an awesome playlist that Esther, Laura's sister and bridesmaid compiled.

At 11.45pm we all went outside with sparklers to see the couple off to their hotel, unfortunately it was raining at this point, but that didn't stop it from being a magical ending to a perfect day. Congratulations Mr and Mrs Morris!

Weekly Update!

Cocktails, Afternoon Tea & Singing Practise!

I have just come back from the most beautiful wedding (see previous post) but aside from that, this week has been pretty quiet, despite it being my final week off.

On Monday I went to Cheshire Oaks with my mum (see previous post) and on the way home we brought Claire, the uni friend I stayed with in Paris, back with us, who came from  her boyfriend Greg's on the Wirral. We went for a few cocktails at the Slug and Lettuce in Altrincham, and then on Tuesday spent most of the day practising the songs we were singing together at the wedding. We got the arrangements sorted and I felt quite confident with the tracks we had chosen so it was worth the effort. That evening after Claire had left we had fish and chips for tea, and then I stayed at Mo's and we watched the fifth Harry Potter.

On Wednesday I had a lazy day, though managed to drag myself to the gym for a class. Mo came round in the evening and we watched the sixth instalment of Harry Potter.

On Thursday I had my nails done in the morning, then got the train into Chester and met Hannah for afternoon tea. We went to a place called Edgar's which was in a Georgian house overlooking the river, it was gorgeous in the sunshine. We paid £15 including a tip, and got finger sandwiches, fruited scones with jam and cream, and three assorted mini pastries each which we shared - there was lemon meringue pie, strawberry cheesecake, a chocolate cup filled with mousse, a chocolate eclair and 2 Bakewell tarts. I wasn't a huge fan of the sandwiches as we didn't have a choice of filling and I didn't like two of the three (a rather strange concoction of coronation chicken, egg with cheese, and ham with mustard), but the scone and cakes were really good, especially the meringue!

Afterwards we went for a wander around the shops, including a cool designer vintage shop, and then I caught the train back and was greeted with a lovely pork casserole upon my return.

On Friday I did a spinning class, and then had my car valeted ready for a trip to Giggleswick in Yorkshire for the wedding. Mo had a half day off work so we set off at 2.30pm, and called in to Claire's grandparents house near Skipton (where she was staying) en route for a cup of tea. Their house is amazing, a proper country manor set in rolling fields, and Claire and I had a very nerve wracking first performance in front of them and Mo and Greg. It went well though, aside from the lack of confidence, but Mo assured me we were good which made me less apprehensive for the big day. 

At around 5pm we popped to the shops for some barbecue food, and then checked into the hotel before meeting up with Geoff and Brian at the bunk barn they were staying at. I went to pick Joe and Chris up from the station whilst they got the barbie going, and then we had a chilled evening drinking and eating meaty treats. Mo and I got a taxi back at around midnight, and went to bed in preparation for the big day.

Days Out...

Cheshire Oaks, Ellesmere Port

Yesterday I went to Cheshire Oaks with my mum for a little shopping trip. I am still on my time off work, and she had a day off before returning to her job after a holiday, so we decided to do something enjoyable. I needed some shoes for my friend's wedding this weekend, so that was the purpose of the trip, although ironically I came home without any!

There were a lot of really good sales on this visit; I often find Cheshire Oaks is a little hit and miss, and sometimes you can wander around for hours without finding anything. Fortunately this wasn't one of those occasions. My first purchase was a cut out swimsuit for £12 and a pair of grey cats-eye sunglasses for £4 both from Vans. The swimsuit is cream with multicoloured leopard style spots on, interspersed with the occasional eye or two! I am not usually a fan of swimsuits (as they hinder maximum tanning opportunity!) but this one is completely open at the back, and the side sections that are cut out are quite big, so it isn't much more covering than a normal bikini.

Next, I tried on a few bits in Calvin Klein, mainly pyjama pants, as I have a pair already that are super comfy. I eventually went with a grey leopard print pair with a magenta waistband that were £15, that can be turned up into 3/4 length ones, which is great for all this hot weather.

My next purchase was an absolute steal! After trying on a couple of potential wedding shoes in Daniel, a pair of taupe studded heels caught my attention. They fitted perfectly and for only £11, I couldn't resist. Despite having a pair that are a similar colour already, I would wear them each for separate occasions (the other pair are wedges) so I didn't feel too bad.

At this point we were getting a bit tired, and craving coffee, so rushed the last few shops. I got a pair of Diesel bikini bottoms for £6 to go with a plain black top I have already, and a pair of little maroon shoe boots that were only £12 that Mum is putting away for a Christmas present for me. I also got Mo a purple striped shirt for the wedding, that was just £9 from Moss, bargain!

We stopped and had a coffee and McFlurry at McDonalds (new Galaxy Caramel flavour - amazing!) and then I met up with Claire who used to live in Paris and we all drove back home as she was staying the night. Successful trip!

Weekly Update!

Sunny Walks, Steaks & A Carvery!

This week started in Majorca, but sadly we had to return to reality on Tuesday. Wednesday was fun though, as Mo had a half day so we went to Styal Mill (see previous post). On Thursday I bought a private numberplate as a treat to myself since I'm now moving into my flat two months late (equals two months of mortgage money to spend!). In the evening Mo came round to stay and we had meatballs which were tasty.

On Friday I was pretty bored, and then got invited to Wythenshawe Park in the afternoon with Ellie, Dom and others. We lounged around and had a little picnic, listening to music and chatting which was nice, and then we went home at around 6pm. Mo came in the evening and we sat in the garden until pretty late and had a few drinks.

On Saturday we decided to go on a little trip to Alderley Edge. We took my amazing rucksack which has a full picnic set inside and a coolbag section, and after a little walk we had cheese twists, brie, blackberries, custard tarts, crisps and tapas herb skewers, and then stopped for a glass of wine at The Wizard Of Edge, the pub just next to the car park. In the evening we bought some gorgeous steaks and had them, then watched the third Harry Potter as Mo has never seen them!

Today after I had to collect my sister from the airport at 6am, we lounged around all day, watched the fourth Harry Potter then went to The Hare and Hounds for a carvery for tea. It is a bit more expensive on a Sunday, but still only £6.79 and the portions are massive. We each had a dessert as well, I went for the chocolate brownie pudding with ice cream, and after that I was so full!

We have just finished watching Get Him To The Greek, which was surprisingly good, and now I am off to the airport again to pick up my parents, taxi service!

Traveller's Tales...

Styal, Cheshire

Yesterday Mo had a half day at work as his new motorbike was ready for collection. I took him to pick it up from Hunt's Motorcycles in Didsbury, and on the way back we stopped off at Quarry Bank Mill in Styal for a wander around. I was quite glad, as it also meant I got to watch Mo on his maiden voyage so I wasn't quite so nervous about him riding around on it!

We arrived at around 4pm, and the weather was still fine. I am a National Trust member so it was free for me to park, and it was only £2 for Mo's bike, so not too bad. First stop was the cafe for a drink and I had a caramel slice that was delicious, although it was rather pricey - £4.40 for the drink and cake, so I wouldn't rush back!

We did a decent walk past the weir and into the woods, there were a lot of midges around, but at least the hot weather meant there was no mud or rain to contend with, and it was very pleasant. There were plenty of areas with logs to sit on for a rest if you were to do a longer walk, the heat put us off going much further than we did as we were boiling!


We got to a point and turned back as we were unsure how long a full circuit would be, and then once we were back at the main mill and waterwheel, we sat on the grass for a bit as it was really peaceful with noone else around. Shortly afterwards we headed back to mine, where we got a calzone from my local takeaway, it was huge, but so good!

Traveller's Tales

Majorca (Part 2)

On our third day, we just took it easy and stayed by the pool for the majority of the day. It was really hot so after a few hours sunbathing/ napping we went to get an ice cream at a bar opposite our hotel, and picked up some nibbly bits for a late lunch. We went back to the room at around 4pm and finished the rest of our wine from the night before with some sandwiches we had sneakily made at breakfast, crisps, and a delicious butter pastry with chocolate chips that I got from the shop. 

We just chilled out on the balcony for a few hours and got ready slowly, then caught a bus into the Old Town for our final meal, which we had decided to splash out on. We wandered around for a while, the town is really pretty, especially so at the time we were there when the sun was setting and it was cooling down. We passed some cool little shops, one of which was a piercing place so I got a few new tongue balls which are pretty cool.

There were a lot of cafe-type food places available, but we wanted a proper restaurant, and a lot of them in the centre were even more expensive than our generous budget! We found one down a side street called Celler Sa Premsa, that had a really authentic feel as it was down steps in a wine cellar, so was nice and cool, and had wine barrels lining the walls. It was quite busy which is always a good sign, and had a vast wine and food menu, so we were spoilt for choice. 

We got a bottle of wine, and some bread and mussels to share as a starter. They were in a tomato and herb sauce which was too salty for Mo, but I really enjoyed. Next was our mains, which we weren't too sure about portion sizes, so we actually ended up with a lot of food! I had sole goujons which came with chips and salad, despite me ordering sautéed vegetables as an accompaniment. Mo had a Spanish omelette and some battered calamares, and afterwards we were so full, we had to sit for a while before moving!

We carried on with our wanderings, and then stopped at an ice cream parlour, where I had a cherry and Kinder Bueno ice cream pot, it was amazing! Having had proper Gelatti from Italy, I am hard to please in the ice cream department, but this definitely hit the spot! We caught a bus back which took ages as it went the long way round and stopped numerous times, but at least it was air conditioned.

On our last day we reluctantly packed our bags and went down to the final breakfast, which we stocked up on. We checked out, then caught the bus back to the Old Town and went shopping for a while. I was in my element as lots of the shops from England are Spanish (Mango, Zara etc) and had sales on, so were ridiculously cheap, I got a beautiful patterned skirt and floaty pastel mint top for ten euros each!

We also walked around the city walls and took in the scenery, including the cathedral which was stunning. Unfortunately we couldn't go in as we had our cases with us, but we got some good photos from the outside anyway. We stopped for lunch at a little cafe and had paella (had to do it before we went home!) and then went to an amazing ice cream parlour we had seen the night before that was very popular. I went for deluxe pistachio with dulche du leche, and it was even better than the one we tried the night before!

As it was nearing the time we had to be at the airport for, we bought some snacks for later and caught the bus there, where we had an easy flight home and were in bed by 10pm! I had such a lovely time, and I'm glad I managed to persuade Mo that it is actually worth paying out to go on holiday, as he seemed to enjoy it as much as me.

Traveller's Tales...

Palma, Majorca (Part 1)

On Saturday Mo and I went on our first holiday together, to Palma in Majorca. It was the first time Mo had been on holiday in over 15 years, so he was pretty excited, if a little dubious. We decided to go to Palma as with it being a city we thought there would be plenty to do and see, yet it is on a coast so we could easily laze about on a beach as well.

Our flight was at 6.10am, so we had to be at the airport bright and early, and eventually landed and got our bags at 11am Spanish time. We caught the number 1 bus from the airport, but in our concentration of finding our stop, I managed to leave my suitcase on there, which was a slight disaster. Luckily it was a circular route, so after much running the driver saw us headed in the direction he had driven off and stopped, absolute miracle! Afterwards we had lunch in a little cafe and wandered around the Porto Pi shopping centre for a while until 2pm when we could check in. We walked up (a lot of steps!) to find our hotel, Hotel Horizonte, which was really nice; great pool, modern lobby area, and the room was clean and had a little balcony.

We got changed and went down to the pool for a few hours. Unfortunately the weather was a little cloudy, but it was still warm. We got a bottle of Cava from the local shop and drank it in the room whilst getting ready for our first night out on the marina, a short walk from where we were staying. It was so pretty at night, all lit up, and some of the yachts were very impressive. We ate in a place called Tapas Negra, and the food was incredible! To begin with we had bruschetta, Spanish omelette and garlic prawns, followed by pork cheek with apple jelly and grilled octopus tentacles with potatoes and tomato. The octopus was really flavoursome, as it had been done in seasoning, and the pork cheek was so tender it just fell apart. Probably one of the best meals I've had abroad. We got given a liqueur called Tunel with our bill, it was lime green and tasted horrendous, but it was free so can't complain.

After dinner we stopped for a mojito at a bar, and then went back to the hotel and had some wine on the balcony. Great first day!
On the second day after an amazing breakfast in the hotel, we headed to the beach. It was two stops on the number 3 bus to Cala Major, which was very busy, but a nice beach with gorgeous clear waters. We stayed for a few hours soaking up the sun, and had an ice cream mid-afternoon as neither of us were particularly hungry. Then went back to the hotel and shared a bottle of wine by the pool before heading to the room to get ready to go out. We had pizzas from the bar for tea as we had decided to save our money and do a bar crawl along the front that evening.

We started in a bar called Martin's quite near the start of the drag, where cocktails were only 5 euro. I had a Caipirinha which was delicious (and came with free popcorn!) and had a strawberry one in the bar we had been to the previous night, which was 5 euro again but with free a shot. We went to an Irish bar called Shamrock's much further along next, where I went with a plain gin and lemonade. The whole of the front of the pub was open so had a really nice view across the harbour, and there was live music playing so the atmosphere was very welcoming.

We got proper American style hot dogs from a stand, and after we'd finished them, stopped at the first bar on the return journey for a mojito this time, and more popcorn! We bought a bottle of wine to drink back in the room on the way home, but didn't end up drinking it as it was 3am when we arrived, and we were both pretty worse for wear!

Weekly Update!

Sushi, Summer Drinks & Holiday Prep!

I'm doing my post a little early this week as I'm off to Majorca on holiday tomorrow! The week has been quite uneventful really, just filled with packing and preparation for going away. Tuesday I ate at the country club, and had lobster nigiri sushi with apple jelly which was amazing, and had a side of sunblushed tomatoes with olives, which were served in a cute little terracotta pot. I am not usually a fan of sweet things with savoury, but the apple jelly with the sushi really enhanced the flavour of the lobster, so it was a welcome addition.

On Wednesday I went shopping at the Trafford Centre for some things for Aum, glad I didn't give myself much time, as the sales were really good so I could have spent a lot of money if I'd had chance to look at things! In the evening I went to Mo's and we watched Warm Bodies, which was better than I expected, an easy viewing comedy horror type thing.

The weather was still great this week so once Aum finished school on Thursday at 12pm we went to the park for the afternoon, and then in the evening I had a few drinks with my friend Luke at the Oasthouse in Spinningfields, Manchester. It has a great outdoor area, so was really busy and people stayed until fairly late so it was a good way to break up the week.

Today I took Aum to the country club for the day to work on my pre-tan! We had lunch there (I had the crunch roll sushi, my favourite!) and played in the pool until it was time to leave for his grandparents house in Oldham. Once I had dropped him off I got to come home and finish for two weeks, hooray! I've spent the rest of this afternoon packing, and am off to get my nails done shortly before picking Mo up ready to leave at 4am tomorrow!

New Tastes...

The Axe and Cleaver, Dunham Massey

Yesterday, I went out for lunch at The Axe and Cleaver in Dunham Massey with Lydia. She is just about to go and do her elective part of her medical degree in South Africa for 4 months, so this was our last opportunity to meet beforehand.

It was a gorgeous sunny day, so I suggested the venue as it has an outside sitting area, and is in the countryside so feels nice in the sunshine. I must admit, I was surprised at the cheapness of the menu; as it is one of just a handful of pubs in the area, so there is no need for them to lower prices to beat competitors. I got a J2O with lemonade to drink as I wanted something long to keep my thirst quenched.

I opted for scampi and chips, served with mushy peas, and Lydia went for a steak and onion sandwich. Hers was served with crisps, but for £1 extra they were happy to swap them for chips instead. The meals are cheap and cheerful, nothing gourmet just good, hearty grub. Portions are generous, and there are many sauces available to compliment the food. 

We were pretty full afterwards, but there was a decent looking dessert menu so next time I'd be tempted to try something off that. Altogether with our drinks it came to £18, so we made it a tenner each for ease, and then there was a little tip for the staff. We chose off the lunch time menu available Monday-Saturday before 5pm, where there are various groups of dishes priced at £4.95 (mine), £5.95 (Lydia's) or £6.95, and a starter or dessert can be added for just £2 each. I'd definitely recommend trying here if you're in the area, and it's especially nice as a stop off if you're doing one of the Dunham Massey walks.

Weekly Update!

Cheesecake, Crab & Parties!

This week we've had some awesome weather, which always helps things along. Monday and Tuesday were pretty average, this week at the Country Club I got a beef salad that I've had before, but Aum was adventurous and got some pork dumplings off the specials board that were really tasty.

On Wednesday it was his big performance of Peter Pan, so I went to watch him, he was so good! Can't believe that despite being one of the youngest he was the only one to remember all his lines without any prompting, future star clearly! 

On Thursday after school I took him to Cafe Gourmand as a bit of a treat, and we both got mini cheesecakes. I had a raspberry and white chocolate one while he chose the caramel option. I'm not a huge fan of cheesecake to be honest, but it's one of those desserts that crops up quite a lot, so I've made a decision to try and wean myself onto them. I much prefer more fruity based ones (hence my choice) as I find the combination of the sickly mousse topping with the very sweet digestive  a bit overpowering, and fruit seems to counteract the immense sugary taste with a bit of zest or zing. Aum's caramel one was therefore off-limits, much to his delight, but I actually enjoyed mine, especially as the miniature portion was exactly the right size for my dubious appetite.

On Friday after a spinning class and dental visit, I went all out and got a new raspberry Flake McFlurry, which is a great variety for people who enjoy Mr Whippee ice creams but not so much the cones. In the evening I met Emily, Smeed and Tasha at the Griffin, and we sat in the waning sunshine and had some drinks and light food. I got potted crab, which looked quite rustic, but still tasted great. It came with two big chunky slices of wholemeal bread, a rocket salad and a boiled egg, delicious, especially for a summery evening. I stayed at Mo's afterwards last minute, and then headed home quite early the next morning to finish packing my bag for our trip to Leamington.

We set off at midday, and got there for just before 2pm, so not a bad run. We sat in the garden as the weather was amazing, had some lunch and helped set up some stuff for the party that was going on that evening. People started properly arriving from about 4pm, and music kicked off from 7.30pm (by which time I was well on my way to being drunk!). There were five acts that played, including two of Khumbu's (the host) bands and then three solo artists, and all were thoroughly enjoyable. We ended up in town afterwards at midnight as a neighbour complained about the noise, but it was really fun, and we ended up sleeping in the garden, which felt a bit adventurous.

The following day I felt horrendous, so slept for as long as I could before everyone started surfacing and I had to get changed and look alive. We walked into town and got some breakfast, which somehow managed to make me feel worse. It was very tasty though, I had eggs Benedict and a side order of chunky chips which I failed to finish, and then went back to bed when I got to the house. Eventually Mo managed to persuade me to leave so we drove home, stopping at a services on the way to cool down as I was so hot, and Mo felt like he was going to fall asleep. We took a wrong turn on the motorway so ended up near Liverpool, and finally got home at 6.30pm, exhausted, grumpy and feeling rough. Not a great end, but a fun week!

Summer Reads...

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger - 4 stars ****

I picked this book up in a charity shop after seeing that it was written by the same author as The Time Traveller's Wife, which though I haven't read, I have heard is excellent. It tells the story of a pair of 21 year old American twins, Valentina and Julia, who move to London after being left their Aunt Elspeth's flat (who also happens to be their mother Edie's twin) in her will when she dies of cancer. This may sound fairly usual, except that there are conditions they must follow. They have to live there together, for at least a year, and their parents aren't allowed to visit due to an old feud between Elspeth and Edie that is unspoken of.

The flat is next to a graveyard, where Elspeth's long-time partner, Robert, works, who also happens to live in the flat below. The flat above is inhabited by Martin, a crossword writer whose wife leaves him due to his excessive OCD. The book follows the motley crew as they become accustomed to their new situations, which often leads them together.

So far, although interesting, it sounds pretty normal doesn't it? Add to the mix the fact that Elspeth's ghost is trapped in the girls' flat, and has a habit of making her presence known, and it is a whole other kettle of fish.

This book is not only both well written and planned out, but also hugely original. Don't be put off by the fact that there are supernatural powers at work, if that is not your bag; this is definitely not a normal ghost story. A completely unexpected twist at the end really made this for me, and I would recommend it to anyone who fancies a change from the norm. Reading this has made me keen to search out Niffenegger's other work.

New Tastes...

Afternoon Tea at the Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh

On Saturday it was my friend Laura's Hen Party, and it began with a very civilised afternoon tea at Peacock Alley, the restaurant inside the Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh. We had a table booked for 4pm, and the first thing we had to do was choose which tea we wanted. It may sound like a simple decision, but there was a staggering array of different ones, ranging from the traditional Scottish blend (like English breakfast) to Strawberry Rooibos, Chamomile and Flowering Jasmine. Most of us went with the Scottish blend, except a couple who opted for Assam and Earl Grey, and then we were brought champagne to toast the Bride-to-be!

After about twenty minutes of waiting, the waitresses brought over our platters, which were shared between three of us. The bottom layer was savoury - little finger sandwiches made with white, wholemeal and brown bread. There were a variety of fillings, egg and cress, ham and mustard, cream cheese and cucumber and smoked salmon. Between us all we did some swapping to get rid of our undesirables (mine is egg and cress) so ended up with what we wanted, my favourite was the salmon, it was amazing! All of them were lovely though, you could tell they were freshly made, and had just the right amount of filling in.

The next layer up was scones, one plain and one currant one each. They were miniature ones with it being a proper afternoon tea, and served with a pot of clotted cream and tiny pots of raspberry and strawberry jam. I love a good scone, and these were the perfect texture, a bit rough around the edges, but soft and still warm in the centre, perfect with the cream and jam (raspberry for me!).

The top layer was perhaps the most exciting, as it contained the cakes and pastries, but after the first two tiers, we were beginning to feel a little full! We ploughed on though, and each of us chose a different one to try, so we could give our opinions on which ones to go for next. The first one I went for was the strawberry tart, which was a hard pastry case filled with confectioners custard, topped with a strawberry and a syrup glaze. The custard was nice and cold and not super sweet, so complimented the strawberry and syrup, and the pastry had a nice crunch to it to add to the overall texture. Next I had the tea cake, which was basically fruit loaf with nuts in, but was deliciously moist and had a savoury bite to it, which was good after my first choice. 

After that I had what turned out to be my favourite - the raspberry mille-feuille - which is two thin shortbread type biscuits, sandwiched together with vanilla cream, with a raspberry hidden inside. The raspberry was huge and really tart, which gave a great bite to the otherwise sweet centre. The only problem with it was it was difficult to eat; I chose to twist the two halves apart to eat them both individually.

Then I had cherry madeira cake, and a chocolate eclaire, which are both fairly self explanatory. I wasn't too fond of the eclaire, as the chocolate on the top was dark, and the cream in the centre didn't have much flavour to it. The madeira was lovely, although I was slightly disappointed that glace cherries had been used rather than fresh ones, as personally I find them too sweet and the texture a little artificial.

The last two things I had been saving; the Battenburg as it is a personal favourite, and the opera cake as it looked so impressive. An opera cake is layers of sponge sandwiched together with a coffee cream and vanilla cream, topped with a chocolate glaze. In theory it sounds delicious but t was so sweet and sickly that I didn't finish it, and that's a first for me! The Battenburg was really good though, glad I saved that until last. 

After we had just about stuffed ourselves to the extreme, we left and went home to continue the celebrations. Definitely the best afternoon tea I have had, despite the rather pricey cost of £34 plus an automatic 10% service charge!